OSHAWA -- A $230-million renovation is in the works at the Oshawa Centre, and local shoppers can expect big changes over the next three years.

On Wednesday, officials from Ivanhoe Cambridge, the company that owns the mall, announced a redevelopment which will add 60 new stores.

Once complete, the new Oshawa Centre will be Ivanhoe Cambridge's largest mall in Canada -- larger than its Vaughan Mills and Fairview Mall properties -- at 116,000 square metres or 1.25-million square feet in gross leasable area. To put that size in perspective, in comparison the retail space in the Toronto Eaton Centre amounts to 1.72-million square feet.

The Oshawa Centre addition will be built on the east side of the mall after Zellers and the former movie theatre are torn down, leading to the redevelopment of 17,000 square metres or 185,000 square feet of space. An addition will create another 7,000 square metres -- 75,000 square feet -- of new space.

She's going to be beautiful. David Baffa

Construction is expected to begin this summer, with completion scheduled for the spring of 2016.

"Oshawa Centre for years has been dominant in the region; it's the main fashion mall in Durham Region," said David Baffa, vice-president of retail development central region for Ivanhoe Cambridge. "We've had a high demand from retailers who want into the centre, but we've been unable to accommodate them in its present design."

Among the new stores will be two large-format retailers which will about 15,000 to 20,000 square feet, smaller than a full department store, about the same size of the H and M. Mr. Baffa said he couldn't list specific new stores coming to the mall until deals are finalized. He did confirm there are no plans for a new movie theatre.

A common hallway will be shaped like an oval track connecting the existing section of the mall to the new one. The food court will be moved to the new section and will have seating for 1,000.

To provide sufficient parking spaces, an underground parking garage will be built under the new section of the mall.

"The existing mall will be renovated," said Mr. Baffa. "At this point we're looking at tile finishes, lighting, painting, signage, furniture as well as entry features. She's going to be beautiful."

With respect to the construction, the plan is to use careful traffic management to accommodate shoppers, said Mr. Baffa.

The project is expected to be a significant economic generator with 1,000 construction jobs for the renovation and 1,000 full- and part-time positions once the new stores open.

"At a time when we're looking at unemployment levels in excess of nine per cent, that's very positive news for the city," said Cindy Symons-Milroy, director of economic development for the City of Oshawa.

The City has not yet issued building permits, but the process is underway and Ms. Symons-Milroy said with a $230-million price tag, it's one of the largest projects ever in Oshawa.

"I think the addition of 60 new stores to the mix will make the Oshawa Centre and Oshawa truly a destination not just from the region, but surrounding regions where people will want to come here and shop and spend their money in our community," she said, adding that with the recent addition of Costco and the upgraded mall she expects Oshawa to be a big shopping draw.

Some Durham residents have expressed concerns that the additional stores in the mall will have a negative impact on Oshawa's downtown but Ms. Symons-Milroy doesn't expect that to be the case.

"The reason I say that is because the downtown experience is a different shopping experience than a mall experience and the types of stores you have in the downtown are not the types of stores you typically find in the mall," she said, pointing out that shoppers will have to drive through the downtown if they're travelling between the Costco and the mall.

A representative of Downtown BIA did not return calls for comment by press time.

As for people hoping for a particular store in the new mall, Mr. Baffa said his company is "absolutely" open to suggestions. Shoppers can contact the Oshawa Centre through its Facebook page or its website at www.oshawacentre.com

Reporter Reka Szekely covers the City of Oshawa for Metroland Media Group’s Durham Region Division. Reka's social media column appears every other week. Contact her on Facebook, Twitter (@rszekely)